DATES for three of the biggest occasions in Helensburgh’s annual events calendar have been confirmed, the town’s community council has been told.

The Summer Festival will be held this year on Sunday, August 11, while the town’s Christmas lights will be switched on on Saturday, November 23.

And the annual Helensburgh Winter Festival will follow a week later, on Saturday, November 30 and Sunday, December 1.

The dates for the three events were revealed at the latest monthly meeting of Helensburgh Community Council (HCC), and followed a plea to HCC members to put their thinking caps on and come up with ideas for new events to add to the Helensburgh calendar.

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Convener Norman Muir said his plea was part of attempts to make the town more welcoming for visitors once major building work starts on Argyll and Bute Council’s £19 million waterfront development.

Mr Muir also told HCC members that a programme of events could be an opportunity for the community council to raise its own funds to support other community initiatives.

He said: “This town is going to be a big building site for the next few years, and we thought we might alleviate that somewhat by holding events.

“Many charity groups have run events in Helensburgh and made some money as a result – if we can do the same and accrue some money it might just help us and others.”

Mr Muir pointed towards an exhibition by final year students from the Glasgow School of Art, organised by HCC and staged at the Victoria Halls in July 2017.

“That was a small success,” he said, “and a definite step in the right direction.

“I think innovation should be the buzzword for the town. The product design department at the Glasgow School of Art is looking at a return visit. Another suggestion was a sculpture exhibition on the pier.

“That won’t happen until next year. But these events have the potential to capture the imagination of the town and key in to this theme of innovation.”

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Another event set to be hosted in Helensburgh for the first time this year is the annual Big Day Out organised by Argyll and Bute Council’s youth services team and the Argyll and Bute Youth Forum.

That sees members of youth forums from across the area converge on a single location for one day each summer to celebrate their efforts and to mix with young people from other areas of Argyll and Bute.

Helensburgh youth worker Stephanie Thomas, who is leading the organisation of the event, said details of where and when the event would take place and what it would involve would be confirmed at a later date.